Transporting valuable cargo needs more stringent measures

According to managing director of DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa, Charles Brewer, there has been a noticeable rise in criminal activity and syndicates looking to target vulnerable companies transporting sensitive goods, including in South Africa.

He says that companies often underestimate the negative implications of valuable documents or packages getting damaged or going missing. "Not only is the sender's business reputation impacted negatively, which could result in a potential loss of business, the situation could be further exacerbated by negative publicity around the incident. If the goods are of a sensitive nature, there is a further risk of fraud or industrial espionage, as well as the significant and unnecessary cost to replace the goods."

Two most common mistakes

Brewer says that two of the most common mistakes that companies, or individuals for that matter, make when transporting valuable goods is to choose the lowest cost operator to move goods, or not ensuring that the materials have sufficient packaging. "Lower costs may mean that the company receives lower quality of processes followed when transporting goods, which could lead to an increased risk of damage or theft.

"Before shipping sensitive or valuable goods both businesses and consumers need to seriously consider the implications that a package or document not reaching its destination can have on both the sender and the receiver," concludes Brewer.